Still vacating....Monday

Monday - Mark and are traveling with Pastor and Alice to the Pacific Ocean. Now I don't want to sound like a country bumpkin (no offense intended) but I've never seen it. Quite frankly, I'm excited to see the ocean and dip my feet in it. Considering I've never seen the ocean, I wasn't sure what to expect but let me tell you....words could not have prepared me. The photos will explain...kinda.

First we meandered through Astoria and saw this column, a tribute to Lewis and Clark. The inscriptions are very intricate and the column very beautiful.

Our trip continued along the Columbia River, as it become much wider, it is clear we are approaching the ocean. We arrive to an outlook where we took additional photos, one of a rock called "Haystack", it is a behemoth! This particular area is where several movies have been filmed, like Goonies and Kevin Costner's "The Guardian". The area is very beautiful.

We travel from "Haystack" to Cannon Beach, looked as the beautiful foliage and shops then went to Mo's ocean side restaurant for dinner. While sitting at the table and gazing at God's glorious creation,

I saw a splash out in the ocean. I wasn't sure what I was seeing, turns out it was a whale. The whale entertained us the entire time we were there! Odd thing, I was as excited as a child about this whale.

The sun has begun to set and we need to start heading back to Longview. Before our journey back we all agreed that it is essential to get photos of the sunset. Isn't it beautiful? I love the photo of Mark standing on the beach and looking out at the horizon in what appears to be awe of the magnificent sight before him.

So, do you wonder if I will ever quit blathering about our trip to the ocean? Or are you curious
...."Did she put her feet in the Pacific"? Well the answer is, you bet I did and it was COLD but delicious!

Still on vacation - Sunday

Day two...we have arrived and have settled at Pastor and Alice's home. Washington looks awesome, Pastor and Alice have a lovely home. God has blessed them abundantly.

It is raining...a light steady mist of a rainfall. I've heard only tourist use umbrellas here....ahem, perhaps I should put my bumper shoot away.

Today we will be attending Longview Church of God, they are having a guest speaker. His name is Gordon Mote. Mr. Mote is a very talented pianist and performs with Bill Gaither. He spends time in the recording studio with Rascal Flatts, good old Church of God boys. He has been playing piano since he was three, which is quite remarkable considering he was born blind. I strongly recommend you visit his site and support this wonderful man of God. One of his songs that I found especially moving is called "Wake Up Dancing". Mr. Mote's ministry is very powerful and his music...very profound, moving really.

After Sunday service....we went to a steak house and ate toooo much. Many people from the church were there, felt like old times and I loved it. Mark and I have met several people from the church. They are lovely people, it is an honor to be in their midst.

In the evening we attended services and were blessed to hear Pastor Fischer deliver the message. He preached from Revelation 5:1, about the Book of Redemption with seven seals. The book contains the story of man's fall through sin and rise through Christ Jesus. Only the lamb, the lion....the Holy One, who is in the center of the throne is worthy of breaking the seals and opening the book. He can do this because of who He is...the Lion of the tribe of Judea. Where He is...the right side of the Father, and what He does...redeems us.

The scrolls of our lives and hearts can only be opened by Him as well. He is our Lord and Creator at the right side of God, standing in the gap for our sins...our advocate and intercessor. Just typing this makes me praise Him!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!

It makes my heart swell with complete love of Jesus just thinking of His grace and mercy. How He loves us. That He suffered the cross, the most painful and humiliating death to take away the sins of the world. A fact that is so hard to fathom...what all encompassing love, for you and me. WOW! Oh yes, He is very worthy of our trust, praise, worship, and love! All we need to do is trust Him to open the seals of our lives.

After the pleasure of hearing Pastor's sermon, (I can't emphasis what a true pleasure it was)several from the congregation met for dinner at Dairy Queen. I loved extending my church family and meeting other brothers and sisters in Christ. My family just keeps growing.

Blessings!

Teresa

Pacific Northwest Vacation - Saturday We Arrive

We are still in the Pacific Northwest...and the visit is awesome. We have been traveling a lot and seeing MANY sites.

For instance.... Saturday we arrived in Portland and saw this....

And while the sights are wonderful...time with our friends, Pastor and Alice is what this trip is all about. They have a forever place in our hearts. It is a pleasure to see them.

After visiting the falls, we went to downtown Portland, very interesting downtown area, if you are ever there it is worth the trip to explore the town and shop the Bridge Market.

Blessings,

Teresa

Vacation...it is a good thing

Hello! You will never guess where I am....yep I'm in Washington state. Flew into Portland Oregon this morning with my husband Mark, we were met at the airport by Pastor and Alice...explored Portland, saw beautiful sites and enjoyed the presence of our dear friends that we love so much. Ah, life is good and God's blessings are abundant.

Our flight was great, the sky and weather perfect. We saw Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helen very clearly from our plane. We also saw a windmill farm from the sky...all of which was a first for both of us.

Had to pleasure of seeing Joel, he is such a wonderful young man. His smile melts my heart. There is something about Joel and Lauryn that is warm, loving, and endearing. They are precious. We met them while they were youngsters and have enjoyed watching them grow into beautiful young adults.

Portland is very interesting...the "MAX" (mass transit) in the downtown area is free. Unbelievable! Still trying to get my mind around that...free transportation in the downtown area, wow! We took the "MAX" into downtown Portland and saw the sights, visited an Italian festival and an arts fair, bought a few pretties.

We went to Multnomah Falls, Oregon and enjoyed God's handiwork. The waterfalls tumbled over the mountain, creating a fine mist that was set ablaze in a delightful multi-faceted prism of colors. Ferns are everywhere and lush moss clings to the trees. We enjoyed lunch at the waterfall with a cute little ground squirrel.

After our visit to Portland, we meandered into Washington. If interested....I'll post some photos of the first day of our vacation. I am sure Mark got some great shots of the falls.

Now about this card...I posted it because it is my birthday! I gave myself a birthday treat by going to see my friends...Happy Birthday to ME!

The card has crackle paint, then Basic Grey's paper. The flowers are cut out and place on dimensionals that vary in depth. Used some red stickles in the center of the flowers. This card was messy to make but fun at the same time. Now to figure out how to get it into an envelope. Wish me luck.


Blessings,


Teresa

Let's Go Sailing

I made this card for my husband...I bought the SU set "Winds of Grace" especially for him. He loves sail boats, we used to have an 18 foot Hobie catamaran, the colors of the sail were the same as the sky in this card...it was beautiful. We competed in the Indianapolis State Park Games and placed second twice...really wanted to win but it wasn't to be. Back to the card....

I stamped the boat with VersaMark then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Punched out a 1 3/8 circle onto a Post It Note, stuck it where you see the sun. I used two Multi Color ink pads...the sky is Kaleidacolor Pastel, the water is Kaleidacolor Caribbean Sea. I brayered the sky first (with Post It Note in place). Placed a full sheet Post It Note on the newly brayered sky, then brayered the water. I layerd the image with Bazille paper, one is a pale yellow, navy blue, and a shimmery blue. Used SU HodgePodge and SU's beautiful but retired Bluebird grosgrain ribbon.

The inside sentiment reads, "The winds of grace are always blowing but is it ours to set the sails". That sentiment speaks to my heart, I really love it.

Blessings and good night.

Teresa

This card set me on a journey to find 6 X 6 envelopes....let me tell you now, they are at Archiver's....that little tip should save you bunches of time. I did find a template, but, it requires paper larger than 12 X 12, and well I don't have any. With that said, I did find a nifty site that tells you how to make your own envelopes...and I love it. My posts really don't show this, but I always decorate the inside of my cards and have matching envelopes that have been embellished.

This card has been cased....true. I saw it on Michelle Zindorf's blog and had to have it. And as my good fortune would have it...I had the SU stamp set....Touch of Nature, one of my absolute favorites. Also used the swirl stamp from SU's Doodle This set. Card stock is SU Chocolate Chip and off brand burgundy and tan. Ribbon is SU's satin burgundy ribbon, also used SU's ticket punch

This one is for my pal Glinda

My pal Glinda has a new toy...a Bind It All. As you can see, she has been playing. I love Glinda, she is a beautiful person, lots of fun, and has a loving and giving nature. Lucky for me...she calls me friend and as an added bonus...she makes pretties for me. And I can tell you I DO LOVE PRETTIES!

Glinda reads my blog and leaves encouraging words. She is very creative and makes beautiful cards and various paper crafts and you don't even want to know about her carrot cake....oh my, it is the BOMB! She is the best and I love her.

Back to the pretties....in this case a Post It Notes holder, isn't it de-lish? I just love this paper? I love what Glinda has done here, she is a very talented lady.

When Glinda made this, she had my little "Sweet Pea" Emersyn in mind.

Speaking of Emersyn....here is my introduction to you to my little angel.

Life is grand and God is good!

Blessings!

Teresa